Add links or key information to the settings screens?

[Qchristensen]

Reading a thread on Reddit where someone mentioned they just discovered OCR in NVDA. Someone else questioned why we don't include keystrokes to use features in the settings dialog.

My first thought was if it would make them too cluttered, but I started looking through them and I was thinking it might be worth including a text box at the bottom of each settings screen with some key keystrokes. EG:
General: Keys to start and stop NVDA
Speech: Synth settings ring keys
Audio: keys for Audio ducking & sound split

etc

If we were worried about too much info on the screen, perhaps these could be hidden behind a link or button?

They could also include a link to the relevant section of the user guide - though would need to decide whether to link to the section on the feature, or on the particular settings screen?

I thought I'd flesh the idea out in a discussion before creating an issue

[lit-bg]

Hi, I think this is a good idea. Maybe just adding a button or clickable element before the options in each group of settings that leads to that section of the guide should be sufficient. For example, adding an element that opens the guide to the OCR section at the top of that category.

[CyrilleB79]

There is already context help: in almost all NVDA dialog, including settings dialog, you can press F1 and NVDA will open the User Guide at the most relevant section (category or option description). In these sections you should have all the command gestures to modify these options without opening the settings dialog.

Isn't it enough? If not what is missing?

[SaschaCowley]

In these sections you should have all the command gestures to modify these options without opening the settings dialog.

This is not true for all options. For instance, 12.1.8.1. Make screen black (immediate effect) doesn't mention the gesture to toggle screen curtain; you have to navigate to the Screen Curtain section.

If not what is missing?

One advantage I can see this offering is that we could present the actual gesture the user should use to accomplish each task. For instance, if they have modified the gesture, or if it differs between desktop and laptop layout.

The disadvantage is that using these gestures often causes the settings GUI and NVDA to fall out of sync. For example, if you adjust settings with the synth settings ring while speech settings is open, these changes are not reflected in the GUI.

[CyrilleB79]

This is not true for all options. For instance, 12.1.8.1. Make screen black (immediate effect) doesn't mention the gesture to toggle screen curtain; you have to navigate to the Screen Curtain section.

True that all gesture do not match a setting even if they are related to a specific category, e.g. NVDA+S related to Speech, NVDA+R related to OCR.

Screen curtain is not the best example though. IMO since it appears as a setting, the gesture should be documented in the corresponding setting section in the UG. Same for other commands, if any.

One advantage I can see this offering is that we could present the actual gesture the user should use to accomplish each task. For instance, if they have modified the gesture, or if it differs between desktop and laptop layout.

If gesture has been modified, yes.
Regarding desktop vs. laptop, NVDA+f1 should be enough since both are documented in the UG.

The disadvantage is that using these gestures often causes the settings GUI and NVDA to fall out of sync. For example, if you adjust settings with the synth settings ring while speech settings is open, these changes are not reflected in the GUI.

Do you mean that showing these shortcuts in the settings dialogs would encourage people to use them more or more often when these dialog are still open?

[lit-bg]

There is already context help: in almost all NVDA dialog, including settings dialog, you can press F1 and NVDA will open the User Guide at the most relevant section (category or option description). In these sections you should have all the command gestures to modify these options without opening the settings dialog.

Isn't it enough? If not what is missing?

I think you're giving too much credit to the average user or those that are less tech savvy. It's sufficient but I think drawing more attention to the user guide is a good thing so any mention or partial mention of it in the settings panel would be helpful.Again this might just be a me problem but I think I've only seen 1 or 2 mentions of the guide when installing or setting up then forgetting about it and not thinking it would even be a local file in the install directory, I just Googled everything I needed to know without thinking to consult a local user guide. It's probably in the NVDA menu in the about or help section but again that seems like it's hidden away and not in the sections of the menu most people would go to.

[SaschaCowley]

If gesture has been modified, yes. Regarding desktop vs. laptop, NVDA+f1 should be enough since both are documented in the UG.

This still requires the user to know which keyboard layout they're using, which I can all but guarantee some users don't.

Do you mean that showing these shortcuts in the settings dialogs would encourage people to use them more or more often when these dialog are still open?

That is my concern, yes. Especially for novice users, I think this could be particularly confusing.

[CyrilleB79]

But do you consider that the existing solution is enough but not advertised enough? Or is this context help solution not enough either?

If the issue is advertising the existing context help, the following non-exclusive options could be discussed, e.g. mention it in each dialog, mention it in startup dialog, etc.

[lit-bg]

Yes more advertising would help especially the action of pressing F1 at any given part in the settings window taking you to that section is very helpful and informative but not said clearly. From a quick glance the guide seems to be overwhelming but anyone who's `directed to it and pointed to what they're looking at specifically should be able to figure out how to use it.

It might be annoying to some users so I'd only suggest this as an opt in during initial setup but a checkbox to get tips while using NVDA when certain actions are performed for the first time could be helpful as well.

I think the main problem was that you wouldn't know how to use OCR at a glance from the settings despite knowing it's there, I'd append to that category in the settings with a small tidbit about how to use it since there aren't many settings in there to begin with it wouldn't take up much room.

[Qchristensen]

Is the best way forward here then to improve the context sensitive help? I can think of two ways:

1. Ensure the help goes to the relevant section. I think it mostly does, but it would definitely be worth an issue to fix any specific instances which are not clear. In the case of screen curtain, since that got mentioned, when you press F1 on that option, it goes to the "Make Screen Black" section & the first line you go to reads: "This option enables and disables the Screen Curtain. Note that Screen Curtain is activated or deactivated as soon as the checkbox is checked or unchecked." where "Screen Curtain" links to the description of the feature which covers the shortcut etc. I think that is ok?

2. Highlight that you CAN press F1. For the settings dialog, I would perhaps add " - Press F1 for help" to the end of the title so you hear it when you open the dialog, and have a "Press F1 for help" as a label at the bottom of the dialog (to the left of the OK / Cancel / Apply buttons, so visual users can see it.

[lit-bg]

The issue for me was that I wasn't made aware of the F1 key whether I skipped over it or just didn't notice it but It would have been a big help to have that somewhere more accessible whether that's in the quick settings popup or somewhere else.

I was also not aware of the default shortcut key for screen curtain so having that be included somewhere in that section would help, this one goes hand in hand with OCR again not knowing what the default shortcut key was to use that feature.

[Qchristensen]

WOULD having "Press F1 for help" in the title of the settings window have helped you find out that you could do that? OR where would you pre learnt from such a message (the quick start guide, Basic Training for NVDA, the blog, etc?)

Note, I am updating Basic Training for NVDA currently, and I HAVE made a note to add a topic on pressing F1 since I realised I hadn't actually covered it there either. It IS mentioned in the user guide - In the text of the "Configuring NVDA" topic, which admittedly is not the most obvious): https://download.nvaccess.org/documentation/userGuide.html#ConfiguringNVDA

I will also look at adding it to the Quick Start Guide.

[lit-bg]

The title bar sounds helpful as a reminder but I think having a hint/tip popup on first opening the settings panel that explicitly outlines that pressing F1 on any particular part of the settings will take you to that portion of the user guide. Have it prompt to "Don't show me this again" with the default being checked. This will ensure you're aware of what F1 does in the settings and you'll still have the title bar as a reminder on subsequent visits to the settings window.

[Qchristensen]

From the conversation, I've created issue #20534 to add the text " - Press F1 for help" to the title bar. Thinking about it and mocking it up, I realised the message will be visible on the title bar, even at higher DPI and on the different settings screens - at 225% DPI and on the longest "Privacy & security" screen, it looks like you would get "- Press F1 for" which at least should still give you the idea.

If there are any places where the context sensitive help is not informative enough, please create a separate issue for that.

[CyrilleB79]

Re the F1 key, I realise that knowing this information is not straight forward for a newcomer who does not read the User Guide. On the other hand appending it to the window title is very invasive. We should not append this only to settings dialog but to any NVDA dialog (e.g. dictionaries, profiles, even Find dialog, etc.) since all of them support F1.

IMO, we should just teach people much more about this (training, In-process, quick start Guigde, maybe Welcome window, etc.)

[lit-bg]

I did know about F1 bringing up help for various apps on Windows but it just didn't cross my mind as I've not had to use it much as I don't normally use complicated and complex applications often, for most apps a quick Google search would suffice but for NVDA it is hard to find specific information on a certain feature at times.

Thinking about it more the title bar does seem to have the same issue as discussed before as it'll read the title bar once and that's it unless you switch tasks and come back to it again but that seems to be a rare occurrence. Maybe adding a new category in the settings window labeled "About" or something similar at the top or bottom as a quick reference. The top might be too intrusive to some if they just want to get to the settings faster but the bottom might be easily skipped over by others who don't traverse the entire list.

[CyrilleB79]

Maybe the suggestion of an "invasive" pop-up with a "Don't show me again" remains the best solution.

Worth noting though that F1 is a standadrd Windows help command, available in Windows, Office, and maybe other applications too. Did you know it?

[wmhn1872265132]

It might be worth considering adding a Help button in the settings dialog rather than providing a hint in the title bar, as this follows the design convention of many software applications. Specifically:

• The button should be placed next to the OK/Cancel/Apply buttons.
• The button should be labeled "Help" with the F1 shortcut displayed, which aligns with the way Windows indicates keyboard shortcuts.
• Clicking the button would open the corresponding section of the user guide for the relevant settings category.

This approach would both allow quick access to the user guide via the button and indirectly remind users that help can be opened by pressing F1.

[CyrilleB79]

The help button may be interesting as it is a self-advertising help feature and is quite standard, for example it may open the User Guide in the selected category.

Though it cannot do the same thing as F1 since F1 opens the User Guide not only on the selected category paragraph but on the paragraph dedicated to the focused option (control), which is a subparagraph of the category paragraph.

[lit-bg]

You can add a section or note when clicking on the help button such as in an introduction to the guide to note that pressing F1 in any section / setting of the settings window will take you to that specific part of the guide.